Summer Camp Isn’t Just for Kids!

Published on: April 24, 2012

First, the kids: It is time for parents to begin signing up their children for summer camp. The options are enormous and success comes in keeping your kids entertained during summer vacation. The most common type of affordable camp is offered through Boys & Girls Club or YMCA. In Southern California kids get the added bonus of being located near theme parks so the camps often include weekly outings to Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Wild Rivers, San Diego Zoo, Legoland California, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Universal Studios Hollywood and SeaWorld. It’s hard to believe, but some kids suffer theme park burnout where they beg their parents not to make them go to camp because they’ve been to theme parks too often! It’s true. For those weary children who need different stimulation, check out places such as the International Printing Museum (printingmuseum.org) where scouts can earn merit badges, golf clubs such as Trump offering youth teaching academies (trumpnationallosangeles.com), and camps for nearly everything under the sun.

For adults, there are actually camps to attend, believe it or not. One of the oldest and best known programs is called Road Scholar, Adventures in Lifelong Learning (roadscholar.org). In summer 2012 Road Scholar continues to offer learning trips throughout the world, and in California you can see California’s National Parks all in one trip — Sequoia, Yosemite, Lassen, Redwoods — and enjoy additional explorations at Lake Tahoe, Mono Lake, Carson City, Virginia City, Shasta Dam and Mendocino. It is one of many adult camps that range from learning how to cook, how to write a book, how to relax, lose weight or even excavate (there’s an archaeology camp for adults in Cortez, Colorado. ) Don’t break a leg, but do have fun if you’re over 21 and feel you deserve some camp time.

California National Parks Camp Highlights
• Marvel at the largest and tallest living organisms on the planet as you stroll through ancient groves in Sequoia and Redwood National Parks.
• Experience iconic Yosemite Valley with expert naturalists and enjoy world-renowned dining experiences at the historic Wawona and Ahwahnee hotels.
• Visit the fumaroles and mud pots of Lassen Volcanic National Park, see nearby Mount Shasta, second- highest peak in the continental United States, and travel to the base of Shasta Dam, second-largest dam in the country, to learn about California’s water resources.